The primary goal of the American Sociological Association's Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) is to support the recruitment and training of sociologists of from racial/ethnic minority groups in the field of mental illness and in the sociology of substance abuse. The MFP seeks to provide predoctoral students with academic and research training and mentoring, in coordination with university graduate programs, in order to increase the talented pool of sociologists from racial/ethnic minority groups engaged in research in the sociology of mental illness and substance abuse throughout the United States. The application calls for the funding of 30 predoctoral Fellows over the next five years of the grant, with Fellows typically receiving three years of support. The specific aims of the MFP include: to provide information and counseling to students in the selection of doctoral training institutions with active mental illness and substance abuse researchers;to help in the placement process by matching students'interests with programs;to provide individualized mentoring, advice, and social support to Fellows development about their graduate programs, career opportunities and the best methods for completing training;to provide enrichment initiatives for Fellows (e.g., grant/dissertation proposal workshops, research internships) that will enhance their training;to expose students to interdisciplinary research teams and translational research;to identify and work with investigators and departments with strong research programs in mental illness and substance abuse. Methods for achieving the above goals include: proactive and highly visible recruitment of potential candidates;careful selection of Fellows for the program;placement of Fellows in graduate programs strong in the sociology of mental illness and the sociology of substance abuse;constant monitoring and mentoring of Fellows;and special enrichment experiences in the sociology of mental illness and in the sociology of substance abuse.